I want to make a fightpad for my best friend as a somewhat belated marriage and housewarming gift. And it’s to be a surprise!
He’s an avid Vega player. Atleast, avid enough to turn me into one! If I were making this fightpad for myself, I’d almost certainly go with an Astro City layout. But I’m neither a pro, nor am I completely unbiased in choosing that layout (Sega fanboy here). But he’s getting up there.
So I want to ask you guys. I know there are only really subtle differences between layouts, and they can all pretty much be accustomed to eventually. But I want to make it the best way I can, and I obviously can’t ask him what he’d prefer. Heck, he wouldn’t really have an answer for me, either. So which layout would you prefer if you could choose?
I’m going to cast my vote for the Astro City layout again. But I’m also thinking that a square gate would be best for Vega. Thoughts?
I have never used another pieces. But the Madcatz TE layout is just fine (even though I don’t like the 3-kicks/punches buttons) and while the octogonal gate is great for shotos, I think that the Square gate is great for Claw. Its really easy to store the DB charge.
But I feel like it would be easier to Bloody High Claw with an octogonal gate, though.
The great advantage of those gates is that you feel with you hands positions such as forward and back. And to be able to recognize easily forward from up forward helps a lot when you want to achieve CH-ST and not CH-FBA. =)
It also helps for quarter circles, though Claw isn’t involved.
Astro city layout is fine if he’s new but if he’s an old skool arcade rat this is probably more comfortable. Ball top if new bat top if old. octoganal seems the most popular choice among everyone. I don’t know too many people who actually prefer a square gate.
The use of the word “Pad” with “Astro city” is confusing me… Do you mean a stick?
Personally, I go square-gate straight 6. But I seem to be the only person who likes this layout to the point two people I used to buy Plexi off knew it was me straight away from the order laughs
The TE is probably just your easiest bet. It’s durable and he then has a choice between Vewlix or Straight (If he’s only using 6 buttons). Astro is alright, but again a lot of people also don’t like it.
I don’t understand why people use octagonal gates, I can’t stand them personally and don’t get how Bloody High Claw would be easier. I’ve always found hitting the corners of the gate to be a perfect marker for charging.
Of course square gate, wtf trias? Isn’t that industry standard for years now? Did any new sanwa/seimitu-parts stick that came out since 09 had any other gate?
Since you want to persuade your friend to main Vega the layout question is imo not that trivial. I hae the HRAP 3 with the Astro Layout (picture) and a HRAP V with the Vewlix layout and I find it significantly easier to do Karathrows with the Astro City Layout. The HK button is somehow easer to touch with my little finger there.
And with both sticks doing Karathrows is much easier than with a TE. There, there is no cut-out below the buttons so my palm has no space, forcing me to do a akward twist for that thrwo. That might be just me though.
So my tip: Buy an old HRAP with Hori buttons, swap them for Sanwa buttons, and go to the tech forum here and buy a great, self designed, claw themed Plexi Top from the guy there.
Edit: ah Vegaman has a point regarding the octagonal gate, but that piece is what, 1 dollar? You can swap that to your friends preference any time later.
People often think that it’s the gate that’s causing them execution issues and change to octagonal.
They put in hundreds of hours of practice until their execution is what they want and thank it all on the gate switch.
The same results would have been achieved by sticking with a square gate and putting in the same amount of hours, with the added bonus of being able to use pretty much everybody elses stick for when yours breaks mid tournament (which happens to pretty much everyone at least once).
I don’t care about standards. I’m a Claw player. 8)
Absolutely, it’s very simple to change, but definitely has a great impact on stick feel.
I’ve got a TE, and except for the « industry standart » 1 dollar part, I hadn’t to change anything. One thing though, is that my thumb is not comfortable with LK button, and when i need to use it it’s nearly painfull. I’m wondering if the way one puts his hands does change a thing (laying on the panel ? hanging above it ? directly striking the screen with the hammer of justice ?), but that layout forces the thumb to an unatural position IMO.=)
You’re right on that.
Except for me, the hundreds of hours of training significantly reduced when i switched to 8 gates. It’s just more precise than a square one, even if it may also feel less fluid (slower) . And even if, just as you say, I’m now unable to use 4 gates. =)
Darn, it looks like I’m talking about protoss builds in starcraft right now. ^^
He’s fairly new to using sticks. He’s dicked around with a friend’s stick before, and got a feel for it and an appreciation for how much better a fightstick is compared to a joypad. So he probably isn’t dying to use an old school layout. Astro City it is, then.
As for the gate…I wasn’t expecting there to be as much of a debate about this as there is! The joystick I’m looking at comes with a square gate. If he has trouble with it, I could always buy the other gate and tell him how to change it.
And about the suggestions to buy a fightstick and just mod it. I’d rather just make it. I’ve always been like that. I prefer making people gifts than just buying something out of a store, even if I’m going to modify it in the end.
The one thing I’ve been concerned with when it comes to 8-button layouts are Focus Attacks. With the two Focus Attack buttons being all the way at the end there…isn’t that awkward? Isn’t there a better place to put them? I was thinking of having those two buttons, and an additional button closer to where the thumb rests that acts as a Focus Attack button on it’s own. I’m not sure if that’d even be allowed at tournaments, though.
It’s been a while since I even touched SF4 myself. I had myself convinced that the two black buttons on the end of the TE sticks where for focus attacks. Those are just the 3K and 3P buttons though, right?
B-link is a pointless trick wire change. Just learn your damn jabs. It’s not hard.
LP MP HP
LK MK HK
That’s the standard layout. You don’t need 8 buttons. Gen players tend to like them because it makes stance changes easier but otherwise, 6 is standard.
Just get a TE, if he wants to disable the 3K/3P, he can. A lot of people do when they get used to doing ultras just by tapping 3 buttons together.
Oh and if he doesn’t like the tension of the stick, you can just get new springs. Don’t drop money on getting an entirely new stick right away. Seimitsu has a reduced “dead-zone” iirc, haven’t used one in forever since I just modded my sanwa with a seimitsu spring.
It’s your opinion. Or couse if you do hits 3 one frame links in a row 100% of the time, it could be seen as pointless…
Now from normal people and pros, it’s seen as interesting to add execution techniques in order to improve your link hit rate, even those considered to be easy. Even if pure training provides you 80% accuracy on one frame links, improving it to 99/100% is always good to take. P-linking, B-linking and double tapping are among those techniques, all designed to double your amount of inputs per unit of time.
I’ve not seen a lot of pros who don’t use them. And even if my rates (40% I’d say on cLP cLP) are slowly improving with training, I don’t see why I wouldnt P-link and B-link to improve them further if I want to. =)
It’s pointlessly modding your stick and if the OP doesn’t know what to do, it could be disastrous.
I P-link my MP after crLP and EX Roll but that’s because it doesn’t require any mods. I could do the B-link, but then I can actually do crLPx2x crMP with my eyes closed so I don’t see the point.
I don’t double tap either, but that’s just me.
Even with Plinking, your accuracy is never going to be 100% and what can be learned in muscle memory plinking can be learned without. Which is why you really don’t find people using B-link.
B-linking can be achieved without modding. As you said PPP button isn’t that useful. You just set it as select button in SF options, and there it is. =)
Successfully double-tapping require quite a lot of training in my experience. It’s quite muscle intensive, so I do prefered as well to P-link and B-link instead. Personnal choice, just as you said.
Most pros do double tap, but I think it’s because double-tapping works in any FG whereas B-linking is almost exclusive to SF4. So indeed, B-linking is not very popular. =)
Good luck stretching your fingers that far in a piano motion :'D
If you have your stick 6-straight on an 8 button stick, then it’s 10x easier seeing as your layout will be:
PPP | LP
, but for someone on a vewlix…
Meh, it wouldn’t be possible for my sticks anyway, they’re all 6 button, because 8 button is dick.
Just because pros double tap doesn’t make it any more viable. I have never double tapped stuff consciously and am pretty consistent with my links. My head simply can’t process the notion.
Also double tap doesn’t work if you play Dante in uMvC3. Try to heavy punch and get stinger lolololol.
Anyway I don’t double tap buttons on my pad. I usually don’t plink unless I’m having trouble hitting the link. And I don’t blink at all. And I use 10 button config
